Insomnia
by mmichaela
Summary: Another little filler from my favourite episode, 7x18 "Be Careful What You Wish For". Jack and Lisa spend the night at Fairfield to settle a bet, and sleep escapes Jack for some reason...


Jack struggled to find a comfortable position in Lisa's big bed. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get to sleep. The digital clocked beside the bed blinked the time, 02:37. Jack sighed, Lisa had been sound asleep next to him for hours, oblivious to his dilemma.

Getting desperate, Jack took one of the numerous pillows he had moved to the end of the bed and pressed it against his ear in an attempt to block out the constant groaning of the boiler that had started up in the last half hour. It was no use though, it wasn't just the noise that was keeping him awake. There was the abundance of pillows Lisa had on her bed, he had moved as many as he could to the end of the bed but he still felt crowded out. There was also the heat, Fairfield was a lot warmer than the Heartland ranch house. Jack never noticed it much during the day but now even under the light blanket he couldn't but notice it. He wondered how Lisa ever slept at Heartland if this was the heat she was accustomed to at night.

Everything was just strange and Jack had to admit defeat. He slipped out from under the blanket and got quietly from the bed, careful not to jostle Lisa, who slept soundly on. Sliding his feet into his slippers beside the bed, Jack quietly left the room and descended the stairs. He headed for the kitchen, a mug of hot cocoa in mind.

Although all the electrical appliances in the house were modern and Jack could only hope to master the use of half of them, Lisa hadn't tried to disguise the age of the house. It was an old house and the exposed wooden beams in the ceilings and more traditional wood furnishings gave it a cosy feeling that made Jack feel at home. Just not enough to catch some sleep. He flicked on the lights on the far side of the kitchen, over the worktop and quietly made his way around the kitchen, not wanting to disturb Lisa. The house was slightly cooler downstairs and Jack felt himself relax slightly.

Upstairs, Lisa stirred in her sleep and rolled over towards Jack's side of the bed. The unexpected empty space there jolted her awake and she opened her eyes in the dark looking around, slightly confused. It took a moment before she noticed the bedroom door standing ajar and realised it had been the empty bed that had awoken her. Slipping into her bathrobe she padded barefoot down the stairs following the faint sounds leading her to the kitchen.

She found Jack sitting at her kitchen table, staring into his hands which he was wringing slightly on top of the table. A mug of hot cocoa stood on the table next to his clenched hands. She couldn't quite read his expression in the dim lighting before he looked up guiltily as she paused in the doorway.

"Couldn't sleep." He sighed wearily before she could ask.

"At all?"

He shook his head.

"Awhh Jack." Lisa held back a smile at his weary, defeated expression. She rounded the table towards him and kissed his forehead gently. "Come to the sitting room at least."

"No Lisa, go back to bed, I'll be up in a while."

"Nuh-uh." Lisa shook her head. "You're going to drink your hot cocoa comfortably in the sitting room and then we'll go back to bed together." She folded her arms across her chest and stood firmly in front of him to prove she wasn't going to be dissuaded.

Jack sighed, picking up his mug, too tired to argue. "Alright, alright."

"Good." Lisa smiled approvingly, taking his free hand as he stood up.

They found themselves a little while later comfortably wrapped in each other on the sofa. Jack's mug sat empty on the coffee table in front of them.

"You get cuddly when you're tired." Jack noted quietly, referring to Lisa's position. She sat sideways on the couch, lower back against the arm, legs across Jack's lap, head resting on his shoulder, arms tucked in between them. Their height difference meant she could always find a way to settle into him, wherever they were.

She lifted her head and smiled, "Hm, I guess I do."

He tightened his arm around her. "I was thinking… it's warmer here than at Heartland, do you not find it cold when you sleep at Heartland? Does it ever… keep you awake?"

"You know, I never take much notice," she replied, "Years of boarding school and business trips with long layovers-I can sleep just about anywhere I can shut my eyes. Why? Is it too warm here for you to sleep? Is that what's keeping you up?"

Tired as she was, Jack had to give it to her, she was still quick to add two and two together.

"No, no not entirely." He didn't meet her eyes, but looked straight ahead.

Lisa regarded his guarded expression for a moment, for the second time that night she realised, before deciding against pressing him for more. She knew better than forcing him to talk when he didn't want to talk. She inhaled his familiar scent and her exhale was a yawn before she could do anything to stifle it.

"Lis, go back to bed. I'll be up in a minute." Jack sounded almost pleading. Just because he couldn't get to sleep didn't mean she should be deprived of the luxury as well. He could tell she was tired. Looking down he could see her eyelids were heavy, her eyes beneath them not as sharp as usual.

"Oh no, I know you Jack Bartlett. I'll go to bed and fall asleep waiting for you, while you sit down here stewing in whatever it is that's keeping you awake." She managed to stifle the yawn that threatened to follow this statement.

"Stewing?" Jack was immediately defensive. "I'm not... I don't- I just… can't get to sleep."

"Mm-hm." Lisa wasn't convinced. "Then come to bed, you're not going to get to sleep down here. I'm warning you, I could fall asleep right here on top of you in a matter of minutes, and you and your bad back will be stuck here, you'll regret being so stubborn then." Her determined eyes met his and she saw it in his expression before he said anything-he was too tired to argue.

He sighed, "Alright, let's go."

"That's the spirit." Lisa heaved herself out of her corner of the sofa and held out her hand to help him up. He stood and she nestled comfortably under his arm as they left the room and made their way back up the stairs, dimming the lights as they went.

They re-entered the bedroom and Jack caught sight of his overnight bag lying in the corner of the room, reminding him of the main reason he wasn't getting any sleep that night.

The ring.

He had tucked his grandmother's wedding ring safely into his bag before leaving Heartland. Somehow, he just knew. When they had made this bet the day before, something told him that the right time had finally come, to do things the right way.

He had decided he would do it on the final night of their bet, _as long as we don't kill each other first,_ he had thought wryly, as was the premise of their bet.

Now, he wasn't having second thoughts that were keeping him up. He was nervous.

He feared Lisa might accidentally find the ring before then. He worried something would happen and he'd miss the opportunity. He was afraid he wouldn't find the right words. He'd been lying awake for hours mentally preparing what he wanted to say. _Like some damned insomniac trying to write a speech,_ he thought to himself as they both settled back into the bed.

As Lisa drifted easily back to sleep at his side, Jack prepared himself for hours more of worst-case-scenarios to occur to him before the late winter sun rose. Lisa hadn't been far off when she accused him of "stewing" earlier. The only thought he refused to entertain was a negative response from her, he wouldn't be doing it if that were a possibility. If there was any hitch in the pull-off of this, it would be on his end.

Nerves such as these weren't familiar to Jack. It was rare for anything to put him at odds as much as this, but it only made him all the more certain. They wouldn't be a traditional married couple, he knew, but nothing about them had been too traditional. _Lisa wasn't too far off the mark yesterday, or the day before yesterday, there is something in the odd nature of us, that just seems to make us work._ There was no doubt in his mind, it was about time they did this right. He wasn't going to let her slip away again.

He was also determined to win the bet, but that was just an added bonus.


End file.
